The present disclosure relates to a module connected to a home appliance that provides a simple structure and manner of indicating at least two items of information, for example, at least two of network status, signal strength, and/or energy rate/level. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a low power indicator, preferably a single chip light emitting diode or LED device, that switches between the different items of information or modes, one of the modes being a default mode.
A recent development in the area of home appliances is to provide appliances that respond to demand supply management (DSM) signals from utilities for example to affect a possible load shedding event in the appliances. One approach is to employ a module operatively connected to the appliance that receives the signal from a utility, home energy manager, or other source that indicates a demand for the particular utility (electricity, gas, water, etc.). When demand is high, a corresponding cost of using the utility is high and a user is apprised of the increased utility rate. The user is presented with the option of selecting or preselecting a course of action in an effort to reduce utility usage or to delay/time-shift certain operations of one or more home appliances.
In some systems, a user interface, for example via an interface screen or menu driven device, is associated with each home appliance to allow the user to review the impact of the increased demand/costs, and to select a desired operation of the home appliance that may reduce utility usage. In other instances, the user preprograms a series of actions that one or more home appliances will automatically undertake in response to various threshold demand levels. Operation of one of more of the home appliances is likewise modified, and the user is apprised of the operative status of the appliance, e.g., the home appliance is operating in a low, normal, or high demand state.
Although such a complex user interface associated with each home appliance may be informative, it adds to the complexity and cost of an individual home appliance and the demand supply management system. Preferably, some type of external communication should be available and visible to the user, i.e., externally to the module or appliance, and be able to convey complex levels of information in a relatively simple, inexpensive manner.
Still another problem is how to conserve energy associated with the module, individual home appliance, or demand supply management system. Again, a user interface such as a touch-sensitive screen associated with each appliance requires a fair amount of energy to operate. Further, such a complex interface or home appliance must still be periodically updated with new utility rates or change in the demand supply response without adding unnecessary expense, complexity, or an additional energy use to the home appliance.
Consequently, a need exists for a system and method that overcomes one or more of the problems associated with a demand/supply system, and particularly the module or portion of the appliance that serves as an intermediary or middleman between the individual home appliance and the associated network.